Craig Hoy
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“Given the fragility of bus services across Dumfriesshire, will the minister commit the cabinet secretary, who is overseas, to a meeting with me, so that I can reinforce the case for a station at Beattock, which is now increasingly vital?”
“Jenny Gilruth: Perhaps it was a bit too much to expect some positivity about these announcements from Mr Hoy. However, I hope that he recognises that the Government has significantly adapted our position on support for businesses in relation to some of the outputs that I have set out today.”
“If kicking the can down the road was a competitive sport, this Government would win gold every single time. Many Scottish businesses now continue to face some of the highest rates liabilities in the UK, and many have seen eye-watering increases as a result of the most recent revaluation.”
“I extend to Mr Hoy the same invitation that I extended to Mr Greer. If Mr Hoy wants to come forward with some more ambitious proposals ahead of the budget, my door is open— Craig Hoy: I am seeing you tomorrow. Jenny Gilruth: We will be meeting tomorrow—I look forward to that engagement.”
“I thank the minister for her invitation for us all to work together. I will meet the Deputy First Minister next week to that end. If the new, fiscally prudent, small-state Scottish Government can commit to reducing tax and cutting the benefits bill, we will have a fruitful relationship.”
“Let us hope that that sentiment remains as we progress through the months. We need to look more broadly at where Scotland has been and where it is going. Scotland is a country that has made reducing child poverty an absolute priority—that is one of its moonshots. With our 6 per cent lower figure, we are leading the UK.”
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“The Scottish economy underperformed what was perceived to be an underperforming UK economy. That is the true cost of the SNP’s economic incompetence and its policy decisions. Had ministers got their act together and swung in behind Scotland’s businesses, the economy would now be £10.2 billion bigger than it is. For this budget, we set out plans to reduce tax—tax on workers, tax on home buyers and tax on businesses—which would have restored long- term growth to the Scottish economy. However, that fell on deaf ears with this SNP Government, and it appears that Labour also lacks a credible plan, as this debate has proven. In many respects, Labour has been defending indefensible decisions that are doing real damage to the business community and public services in Scotland.”
“The SNP talks about economic growth, but its actions in the Parliament and beyond often run completely counter to achieving it. Despite Michael Marra’s flight of fantasy, Labour is no better. Let us admit that the party’s national insurance hike is a broken-promise tax on jobs and workers that will cost the Scottish economy billions of pounds. It will lead to lower wages and lower levels of employment, and it will undermine companies’ capacity to invest further in growing their businesses. Let me recap, as Murdo Fraser did, the performance of the Scottish economy in recent years under a Conservative Government in what were challenging economic times. Between 2011 and 2022, the UK economy grew by nearly a fifth, yet Scottish growth lagged behind that by 7 per cent.”
“Scotland’s free ports were delayed as the SNP played political games. Globally recognised brand Scotland brewers are now scratching their heads in disbelief at proposed restrictions on sponsorship. Our island businesses are undermined by the on-going ferries failure. Remote and rural businesses—some as large as Stena Link, in Stranraer—have been hit by the Government’s failure to upgrade roads such as the A75. As Douglas Ross said, this has been a lamentable debate, and I will never get back the nine minutes that I spent listening to Kevin Stewart. The SNP Government is actively hostile—nothing that I heard in the debate tells me otherwise—to many of the very industries that it relies on for skills development, employment and tax receipts.”
“The Scottish nuclear energy industry—what is left of it—faces shutdown due to SNP dogma. The defence manufacturing industry is losing jobs due to a lack of Scottish Government support. Recruitment to the financial services sector in Scotland is at risk due to John Swinney’s high-tax Scotland. I say to Kevin Stewart that we are not losing financial services jobs to London; we are losing them to Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and other places in England. That is the reality of the situation. Our universities are being undermined as engines of innovation and economic growth by SNP disinvestment for a decade or more. The Scotch whisky industry faces repeated threats, such as the proposed ban on marketing. Our world-class food and drink sector is hit hard by the failed deposit return scheme, which Lorna Slater still defends.”
“I accept the minister’s point that Labour has badly let down Scottish business and has all but snuffed out the prospects of growth that we had restored to the Scottish economy, but it is more than only a bit rich for the SNP to use the debate to slam anyone else for treating Scottish trade and Scottish industry as an afterthought. Let us take a moment or two to reflect on the SNP’s record. The oil and gas sector in Scotland has repeatedly been hung out to dry. Scotland’s pub and hospitality sector has been given only a tiny share of the vital rates relief that it is due. Scotland’s retailers have been given no additional rates relief at all. Our farmers are seeing the agricultural resource budget cut this year. Our fishing communities are crying out for support, which is not forthcoming.”
“This grim, grievance-laden debate has underscored how wide the gap is between reality and the SNP’s rhetoric when it comes to Scottish business, the Scottish economy and Scottish growth. It goes to show that, having put her name to this lamentable motion, Kate Forbes stayed for the first five minutes of the debate and then ducked out to spend her time more productively. If she had remained in the chamber, she would have learned more about the SNP’s record, which, on this occasion, my colleague Murdo Fraser did not take the opportunity to eviscerate. However, her action reveals that it is not the UK that treats the Scottish economy as an afterthought. Bizarrely, the SNP Scottish Government repeatedly does so.”
“As you can imagine, Deputy Presiding Officer, Scotland’s reaction to that claim was not particularly positive. Our innovations in Scotland have shaped and advanced the world consistently, continually and remarkably. Even more important is that we are home to the innovations that will shape the world of tomorrow. We recently had the Prime Minister’s speech on the “AI Opportunities Action Plan”, which he delivered at University College London and in which he spoke about opportunities in Oxfordshire, Liverpool and Northumberland. In fact, he name- checked all four corners of England but made no mention of Scotland, in delivering a high-profile and much-anticipated speech on the artificial intelligence action plan for the whole”
“However, the crux of the debate is about recent signals from UK ministers that are causing, in business groups and elsewhere, concerns that the lion’s share of investment and resources will continue to be disproportionately unfairly focused in London and the south-east of England—the golden triangle of Oxford, Cambridge and London. That is despite the fact that recent data shows that Scotland outperformed the UK on economic growth last year. If we want greater investment in Scotland, we need our colleagues in Westminster to recognise the significant opportunities that we, in Scotland, have to offer. In January, the Chancellor of the Exchequer unveiled plans to deliver the Oxford to Cambridge growth corridor and stated that the region is the “home of British innovation”.”
“We are also working with the UK Government to deliver two investment zones, which are in the Glasgow city region and in the north-east. Those will be supported by up to £320 million of investment. The prospects in Scotland are significant, and we are ready and willing to work with the UK Government to capitalise on the opportunities that are ahead of us. Where there are UK-wide schemes, we will work on delivering the Scottish end of those schemes: I have given examples of where that has happened with the previous UK Government and the current one.”
“We hope to hear, in due course, more details of how that investment will be taken forward and support the cluster. I must also repeat the First Minister’s call about carbon capture and storage at Grangemouth. Although the UK Government recently announced support for projects in Teesside and Merseyside, no green light has been given for the project involving Grangemouth, despite promises from previous UK Governments. Another positive example of collaborative working with the UK Government is through our city and region growth deals. We have 12 growth deals in Scotland, with the Scottish Government’s total investment amounting to more than £1.9 billion, which more than matches the UK Government’s £1.5 billion investment.”
“In fact, the green freeport has ambitions to attract £6.5 billion of investment, which will result in more than 11,000 jobs for the Highlands. Our green freeport in the Firth of Forth also has huge economic ambitions. It is aiming to bring in £7.9 billion of investment and to support more than 34,000 jobs across the UK. Forth Green Freeport Ltd has a footprint in Grangemouth, which is rightly the focus of a great deal of attention at the moment. The First Minister recently announced a further £25 million of Scottish Government support for the just transition of the site, thereby taking our total investment to £87 million. We welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of the availability of investment from the UK’s National Wealth Fund Ltd.”
“We need the UK Government to match that and we welcome constructive partnership working with the UK Government. It is fair to say the current UK Government is more constructive than the previous Tory Government, but we have to be honest and say that that was a very low bar. However, the work on green freeports is a positive example of our working together on some issues—even with that previous Tory Government. In that case, a UK Government policy was tailored and amended to fit the Scottish context with our addition of fair work commitments, for example. Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Ltd will focus on the green industrial transition and has already seen a commitment of £350 million by Sumitomo for a subsea cable factory.”
“Digital technology is Scotland’s fastest-growing sector for inward investment, with excellent opportunities across cybersecurity, data, fintech, games, global business services and many other areas. As of 2021, we had more than 10,000 registered businesses in the technology sector, and we have 15,000 new graduates every year in digital technology fields from Scotland’s universities. According to the investment firm Beauhurst, a record £454 million of equity fundraising was announced in Scotland’s tech sector in 2021. Scotland also has one of the largest life sciences clusters in Europe, with around 770 life science organisations that employ more than 42,500 people. We are committed to doing everything that we can to support opportunities in those sectors.”
“The Highlands and Islands Regional Economic Partnership covers 51 per cent of Scotland’s landmass, encompasses 99 per cent of Scotland’s community-owned land and has more than 22,000 registered businesses and more than 1,200 social enterprises. It has undertaken work that shows that tens of billions of pounds in investment could come to the region in the years to 2040. The Scottish and UK Governments should be engaging and supporting it in that. Across our regions, Scotland has huge opportunities in offshore wind, carbon capture, energy storage, hydrogen and decarbonisation of heat and transport. We also have a rapidly growing space technology sector, which is expected to be worth £4 billion by 2040.”
“I thank the minister for referring to the south of Scotland— particularly the south-west. Is he not aware that what businesses such as Stena Line really want are roads that are fit for purpose so that vital commodities can be moved around our country? Richard Lochhead: Roads are, of course, important—all transport links are important. The Scottish Government is doing all that we can with our limited resources to push forward that agenda. It is a pity that inflation has rocketed for all road- building materials. That is thanks to the then Conservative UK Government’s budget a few years ago, which caused inflation to rocket and the cost of everything to go through the roof, which has made it a lot more challenging for the UK and Scottish Governments, and many other Governments, to deal with such issues.”
“He recognised that the £350 million is there to address issues that will come up as we move towards year end, including year-end audit adjustments, changes in demand-driven budget lines, uncertainty around the final tax position and other uncertainties relating to the Scottish Government’s income. His question recognised that it is important that we have the funds to be able to address issues in a controlled and prudent way and to ensure that the Government continues to balance its budget. Non-departmental Public Bodies (Cost to Taxpayers) 5.”
“As we look forward to the medium-term fiscal strategy, will the Government commit to greater transparency on how it is using what is, after all, taxpayers’ money? Ivan McKee: The transparency of information that we publish and share with the Finance and Public Administration Committee and the public continues to increase. There is no shortage of available information. Craig Hoy makes a point about moving money around. Of course we move money; we do so first to ensure that we balance our budget and, secondly, to ensure that we focus on our priorities as we move towards year end. Craig Hoy answered the question himself.”
“The IFS’s Scottish budget report states that the Scottish Government should be “more transparent” about what it intends for “year-on-year changes in spending by consistently comparing plans for the coming year with the latest plans for the current year.” Even now, £350 million has been unallocated for this year, with no clarity about where it will be ultimately spent. I accept that the Government must keep money back for certain circumstances, but do the smoke and mirrors around the budget and portfolio allocation not raise suspicions that the Scottish National Party is moving money around to give a false and misleading headline- grabbing impression of where resources are going and how much is being spent?”
“I move amendment S6M-16571.1, to leave out from “with concern” to end and insert: “that Scotland is home to a wide range of defence, aerospace and security companies that collectively play a vital role in supporting the UK in its endeavours to assist in its international duties to maintain peace, including via its membership of NATO; understands that the defence, aerospace and security sectors support more than 30,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprentices, and contribute £3.2 billion to Scotland’s economy; welcomes Scottish Enterprise funding that supports these vital sectors and the jobs and investment that they provide; reiterates Israel’s right to defend itself, and acknowledges that policy decisions regarding the arms trade are reserved to the UK Parliament.” The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Daniel Johnson to speak to and move amendment S6M- 16571.2.”
“Scotland could, and should, be proud of its aerospace and defence industries and the many people who work in them. It is sad that the Green Party has seen fit to introduce such a malign form of political debate into the Parliament.”
“The aerospace, defence, security and space sectors employ 35,000 people in Scotland, account for £3.2 billion to the economy, and deliver 1,500 much-needed apprenticeships. However, the signals that are being sent to the industry are far from positive or progressive. I ask this question of ministers: who decreed that Scottish Enterprise will provide funding only to help firms to diversify towards non-military applications for their technology? Why will it not specifically support defence skills and jobs that could then be used in other areas? We cannot afford to lose that sector. We must therefore work with the industry to ensure that the Scottish Government supports further and higher education and skills that could sustain the sector now and into the future.”
“When the Greens say that they stand with Ukraine, it means nothing unless they end their dogmatic and depressing campaign against the legitimate defence industry that is operating in Scotland today. If their issue is with how the hardware and technology could be used overseas, they should take their case to the UK export control joint unit, not to the young Scottish men and women who seek to forge engineering careers. I warn them that protests at careers fairs and outside Scottish factories of Leonardo UK or Raytheon UK mean only that the jobs that they support might go overseas to countries that do not have such tight export controls as we have. The Scottish defence sector does not just ensure that the world is a safer place—it also contributes to our economic security and stability.”
“However, what is President Zelenskyy asking for when he travels the world? Ukraine cannot defend itself with warm words alone: rather, it is asking the UK for the military equipment that is made by the very manufacturers that the Green Party is protesting against. Ukraine needs cutting-edge military capabilities: that is, weapons and munitions—Scottish-engineered ones, I hope. Green MSPs need to get into the real world or—I warn them—they will be living in a far more dangerous one. Ross Greer: Will the member take an intervention? Craig Hoy: I do not have time. The Greens will be living in a world in which we would see more Russian aggression on former satellite states and more unwarranted attacks on freedom and life, such as those that Israel experienced at the hands of Hamas.”
“Ross Greer: Will the member give way? Craig Hoy: I do not have time. The Scottish Greens say that they defend the planet, but we must sometimes ask which planet they are defending. Today’s motion begs that question, again. We all know that international actors can be unpredictable, which is why Scotland, as part of the UK, must remain at the cutting edge of aerospace and defence manufacturing. Whether it is in renewables, defence or the automotive industry, the future of this world is engineered, and it is entirely legitimate to use our engineering capabilities to deliver what is needed to defend ourselves and our allies from the malignancy of nations such as Russia, or the evil of terrorist forces such as Hamas. The Green MSPs wear badges saying that they stand with Ukraine, including on equipping it.”
“I echo Richard Lochhead’s comments about welcoming a peace solution, if it holds, in the middle east. Sometimes, motions—including the one today— force members to pick sides, so let me tell the Greens whose side the Scottish Conservatives are on. We are on the side of the young engineering apprentices who work in a legitimate industry that is a vital part of Scotland’s economy, and on the side of the aerospace and defence industries, which are investing in creating the skilled engineering jobs that are needed to develop new defence technologies. We are not on the side of the Greens, who used a protest outside Parliament to intimidate young apprentices as they attempted to attend an outreach event to promote the importance of development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills in the Scottish economy.”
“In answer to his question, I point his attention to the fact that there have been a number of announcements about the Scottish Government’s provision of funding in addition to multiannual funding, for resilience and the development of different organisations. If he wishes to write to me about that issue specifically, I would be happy to enter correspondence with him on the matter.”
“As the cabinet secretary may be aware, the community in Peebles is very concerned about the future of the Eastgate theatre, which is a wonderful local arts venue. Creative Scotland is moving towards a three- year funding model. What provision can be put in place, in addition to long-term funding, where individual creative or arts venues face unexpected or short-term financial shortfalls, particularly when councils—which have been underfunded by the Scottish National Party Government for a number of years—are forced to reduce or withdraw funding that they give directly or through alliance? Angus Robertson: I acknowledge the challenge that organisations in the culture sector still face, notwithstanding the record increase in culture spending, which I commend Parliament for voting for yesterday. Mr Hoy voted against that.”
“The finance secretary is living in a fool’s paradise if she cannot see that Scotland’s public finances are sliding into the danger zone. Audit Scotland, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Scottish Fiscal Commission have all sounded alarm bells in recent days. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
“At the weekend, Anas Sarwar said: “I am submitting my application to be the next First Minister of Scotland.” Now, rather than challenging the First Minister, he resigns himself to letting John Swinney’s bad budget pass. This budget is the product of a cosy left-wing consensus—a bubble that is overshadowing Scottish politics and is far removed from ordinary Scottish people, who want the Government to get off their backs, want public services that work and want to keep more of the money that they earn. It is the Scottish Conservatives—and the Scottish Conservatives alone—who are determined to burst that bubble. Under the SNP, taxes are too high and too complex, the welfare bill and the size of the Government machine are no longer sustainable, and public services are failing.”
“The budget that we are being asked to support today could have been very different. It could have cut taxes for hard-working Scots, it could have been pro-business, it could have set a new direction for social security and it could have tackled the bloated SNP state. However, despite a significant increase in funding, the budget imposes the heaviest tax burden in the history of devolution. We should make no mistake about it—this budget will stifle economic growth and undermine the capacity to raise the revenues that are required to sustain schools, hospitals, roads and railways. It will raise the tax burden not just on lawyers and bankers, but on nurses and teachers. However, the budget will pass at stage 3 today with the support of the Liberal Democrats and without a flicker of opposition from spineless Scottish Labour.”
“Growing our economy is central to the delivery of all our priorities, and the Government will invest more than £7 billion in our total infrastructure package. The 2025-26 Scottish budget prioritises major capital investment in the foundations of our economy, such as housing, transport, digital connectivity and the delivery of critical infrastructure. In delivering the wider investment that Scotland needs, the new 2025-26 Scottish budget will include more than £300 million of ScotWind funding, which will deliver substantial investment in jobs and in measures to meet the climate challenge, investing in the long-term success of our nation.”
“The minister may be proud of the social security policy, but spending on social security is going to double, to nearly £9 billion, by the end of the decade. How does she intend to pay for that? Shona Robison: As I have said many times, we will make sure that we prioritise the funding for social security spend, and I will set out further details in the sustainability delivery plan. However, the Tories have to tell us who, out of the 2 million people who are currently receiving support, they will stop giving support to. When the axe falls on support for people, who will be affected? They have to set that out. In social housing, we are increasing supply by investing £768 million in affordable housing in 2025-26.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app is playing up; I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Hoy. We will ensure that that is recorded.”
“There is mounting evidence to suggest that there has been behavioural change and that Scotland’s high-tax, low-growth economy has in turn impacted earnings growth.”
“In 2021, the Scottish Government set out the principles of its approach to taxation: certainty; proportionality; convenience; engagement; effectiveness; and efficiency. I agree that the Scottish National Party Government has remained true to some of those principles. There is certainty: it is certain that the SNP Government will find new ways to tax Scots and tax them more than if they lived elsewhere in the UK. However, I challenge ministers on whether their tax policies are either effective or efficient. Effective taxes should raise the expected revenues and achieve their intended aims. They should also minimise the opportunities for tax avoidance. However, any analysis reveals that the opposite is taking place in Scotland today.”
“Will the minister guarantee that NHS Scotland policies ensure that staff are treated fairly and consistently, in line with the Equality Act 2010, when it comes to separate, single-sex facilities? Kaukab Stewart: As the Scottish Government has already stated, we expect all organisations to comply with the Equality Act 2010. Child Poverty 8.”
“The Conservatives have not come up with a scrap of evidence as to how that would be done. As I have pointed out previously, they have a “£950 million gaping hole” in their tax proposals. On Tuesday, Parliament will have the opportunity to support a budget that invests in housing, the economy, growth in our public services, the national health service, education and culture. As things stand, the Conservatives will vote against all that benefit for the people of Scotland. School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967 5.”
“Audit Scotland has confirmed that, between 2017 and 2022, hard-pressed Scottish taxpayers paid £3.4 billion more in tax as a result of the First Minister’s Government’s high-tax agenda. However, slower economic growth in Scotland means that the net benefit to the Scottish budget over the same period is just £629 million—£2.6 billion is effectively disappearing down John Swinney’s drain. When will the First Minister wake up to the simple fact that everyone else can see that the Scottish National Party’s, and now Labour’s, low- growth and high-tax policies have badly backfired? The First Minister: I say to Craig Hoy that more people are coming to live in Scotland than are leaving Scotland—that is official data. If we followed the Conservative approach to public expenditure, we would have to cut it by £1 billion.”
“The state employs 22 per cent of all Scottish workers, and we should not lose sight of the fact that, on average, they earn more now than people who work in the private sector earn. The Government has made a virtue of that without calculating how it is to be paid for. Perhaps the minister will tell us how he intends to pay for it.”
“confusing and fundamentally unfair that the NHS and general public service is exempt from the Employer National Insurance rise yet we are expected to absorb that cost.” As our amendment makes clear, the UK Government decision is compounded by a number of bad budget decisions that have been made by the Scottish National Party. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned today, the Scottish public sector is proportionally larger than that of the rest of the UK, and the cost to the taxpayer is heavier. However, the IFS warns that that is not— as the minister has intimated—assisting staff retention in the Scottish public sector, the wages for which now account for 53 per cent of the Government’s entire revenue budget.”
“As the minister said, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations estimates that the tax hike could cost the sector about £75 million, amounting to its being “the straw that breaks the camel’s back”, as hospices and lifeline services are put at risk. The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations warns that national insurance increases will result in £15 million in additional costs for registered social landlords in Scotland. The charity Turning Point Scotland, which delivers vital specialist public services, is also sounding alarm bells. Its chief executive, Neil Richardson, notes: “It is ...”
“Scottish councils are being forced to push up council tax further in order to make up for the shortfall. Colleges Scotland has issued a stark warning, noting that funding for colleges has dropped by 17 per cent in real terms since 2021- 22 and that “resources are already diminished”. It also said that “The increase in National Insurance Contributions comes at a time when the skills of college graduates are very much needed to boost economic growth and productivity in vital sectors”, so the increase in national insurance will also undermine growth and skills. However, the greatest risk that the increase poses is to the charitable and third sectors.”
“In a survey of chief financial officers in the retail sector, two thirds said that they would raise prices, half said that they would reduce workers’ hours and one third said that they would look at automating more functions. Sean Cockburn, who is the chair of the Chartered Institute of Taxation’s Scottish technical committee, warned of what he described as a “sting in the tail for Scottish based businesses”, some of which have been offering job seekers higher salaries to cover the cost of higher Scottish income tax rates. As the finance secretary and the business minister have been right to point out, the pain will be felt not only by the private sector. General practitioner services, care homes and educational institutions are all at risk as a result of Labour’s tax on jobs.”
“Workers will receive lower wages, fewer people will be employed, more people will be laid off and many more will be offered reduced hours. That is why business has quite rightly slammed Labour’s decision. People in the hospitality and retail sectors are at risk, and they warn that stores and pubs will close and that prices will rise. In a letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, nine retail bodies issued a plea for rates relief to offset the costs of Labour’s tax decisions. They warned that the sheer scale of the tax hike and the short timeframe for implementation would impose a £190 million additional cost burden on Scottish retailers each year.”
“It will be firms, workers and growth in the wider UK economy that will pay the price for Labour’s broken-promise budget. Judging by their faces, Scottish Labour members know only too well what impact the decision is having on their electoral prospects. Last summer, Anas Sarwar was all set for Labour’s honeymoon—he was measuring for curtains in Bute house and thought that Labour would coast to victory. He believed that Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves could walk on water, only to discover that they cannot even swim. Through its budget, Labour has undermined growth and has put public services at risk by imposing the highest-ever tax increase in a single fiscal event. Far from it being a tax only on employers, the price will be paid by the working people whom Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves promised to protect.”
“It is refreshing to follow a Scottish National Party minister who is railing against a tax rise. It is just a pity that SNP members do not rail against their own tax rises. Let me put on the record what Rachel Reeves said on 28 May last year. She said: “For the duration of the next parliament there will be no increases in income tax and national insurance”. However, in her very first budget she did precisely the opposite. She rode a coach and horses through Labour’s manifesto—and, with that, through Scottish Labour’s credibility—with a tax on jobs that will fall on the shoulders of millions of workers. Now we know that Rachel Reeves does not play fast and loose just with her CV; she plays fast and loose with the electorate, and she plays fast and loose with business. In fact, the only thing that she is economical with is the truth.”
“That will be about the significant amount of capital required for some of the cutting-edge industries, but it will also be an opportunity to ensure that, when assets are created, local ownership and local control can be exercised. That can empower communities and give them a revenue-generating asset that allows them to invest in projects that are important for their particular area.”
“In 2015, Strathclyde Pension Fund invested £15 million in an investment vehicle aimed at growing the Scottish life sciences sector. Given the huge wealth that is held in Scottish local government pension funds, will the Government work with SNIB, the enterprise agencies and local authority pension fund trustees to see how they can invest in emerging Scottish industries and still deliver a positive return for their pension fund members? Tom Arthur: That is an excellent question on a substantive issue, and we absolutely want to ensure that all our streams of financing are aligned with community wealth building principles.”
“The Presiding Officer: The First Minister can answer on matters for which he has general responsibility.”
“The Scottish National Party’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, lobbied the Scottish Government on behalf of the renewables company Flotation Energy, which was awarded consent for a project. Thirty days later, Stephen Flynn received a £30,000 donation from a director of that company. Today, we find out that, behind closed doors, SNP ministers had “real concerns” about the process for the awarding of the contract and questioned whether the assessment had been rigorous enough. The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy was given the final 217-page document at just before 2 o’clock in the morning, and she signed off on it at just after 9 o’clock in the morning. The secrecy and the lack of transparency are shocking, and something at the heart of the process stinks. Does John Swinney not realise how dodgy this looks?”